


Stargazing

by xv2lover



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, One Shot, Post-Canon, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:40:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29456895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xv2lover/pseuds/xv2lover
Summary: Caulifla can't sleep, so she goes up to the roof of the hideout for some fresh air. She isn't the only one with this idea.
Relationships: Caulifla/Kale (Dragon Ball)
Kudos: 5





	Stargazing

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my Valentine's Day fic for this pairing(though it's about 30 minutes late, whoops). Hopefully writing this will help me get motivated to write some more fanfic soon.

Caulifla stares up at the grey ceiling. 

The room is pitch black, save for a little moonlight that comes in through the window. It’s late-night or early morning, Caulifla doesn’t know which, and she doesn’t care enough to turn her head to look at the clock on the wall.

Right now she should be asleep, completely dead to the world as her snores are the only sound in the quiet room, but she isn’t. She’s staring up at the ceiling, wide awake. She doesn’t even feel a hint of drowsiness, despite training for a large portion of today. Her muscles are tired but her mind isn’t.

This isn’t a new feeling for her. Ever since the tournament, ever since _being erased_ , she has had sleepless nights like this. She hasn’t told anyone, not even Kale, because she’s supposed to be tough. She can’t act like this is affecting her, even when she wakes up in the middle of the night with a start because of it. She just has to deal with feeling tired the next day and move on.

Caulifla’s hands grip the worn mattress of her bed and she forces herself to sit up. She knows letting these thoughts continue unimpeded wouldn’t be good, so she slowly gets out of bed and leaves her room.

She traverses the dark hallways of the gang’s hideout, unsure of what to do now. She doesn’t want to wake Kale up so instead, she decides to get some fresh air. She takes the stairs that lead up to the roof and she shivers as the frigid night air hits her as she steps out onto the roof. A starry night illuminates planet Sadala’s sky and Caulifla sees the silhouette of someone already on the roof, laying on a blanket of some sort while gazing up at the sky. As she approaches the figure, she’s able to get a closer look to see that it’s Kale.

“Hey, Kale,” Caulifla says. 

Kale props herself up on one elbow and turns to face her. “Hi, I didn’t expect to see you up here...”

Caulifla lies down on the blanket next to Kale. “Didn’t expect to see you up here, either. Not that I’m complaining, It’s nice to have some company up here.”

“Yeah, it is nice,” Kale says. “Did you come up here to see the stars, too?”

“Eh, I kinda just wanted to get some fresh air, but the stars are a nice touch, too,” Caulifla says. “I’m guessing you came out here to see the stars?”

“Yes. I always come out here when I dream about the tournament-” Kale cuts herself off. “Um, when I can’t sleep, I mean.”

Caulifla slowly takes Kale’s hand in her own, giving her protégé the chance to pull her hand away if she wants to. She knows Kale has never been one for physical displays of affection, much like Caulifla, but this is the only way she can think of to comfort her friend.

“It’s all right,” Caulifla says, thinking about her next words carefully. “I dream about it, too. The tournament.”

“Looking at the stars helps me deal with it,” Kale continues. “The tournament with alternate universes and gods, having our whole universe erased, it’s so out there that I can barely believe the whole thing even happened. The stars and the planets, though, they’re far away but at least they make sense. If we had a ship we could get to them. Sorry if that seems weird or if I’m rambling, but I don’t know... It feels like it helps. Even if it’s just a little bit.”

Caulifla meets her eyes. “It’s okay, Kale. I get it, kind of. I wish I was able to find a way to deal with it like you have.”

Kale clutches Caulifla’s hand a little tighter. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Part of Caulifla wants to turn her down, to keep what she’s feeling buried, to keep that image of a strong leader alive. However, the warm feeling of Kale’s hand in hers as well as Kale’s obsidian eyes gazing at her with such vulnerability make her feel otherwise.

Caulifla nods and takes a breath. “The whole thing just doesn’t sit right with me. Sure, I liked being able to fight so many strong opponents from across the cosmos, but to think that we could all be erased just like that, just because two kids decided they wanted us gone,” Caulifla involuntarily grips Kale’s hand as her other hand clenches into a fist. “I’m glad it worked out, but the whole thing worries me. What if they decide to have another tournament in the future because they’re bored, or what if they decide to forget the tournament and just outright erase us? I just can’t stop thinking about it. Every night when I go to sleep, I usually end up dreaming about the tournament, and I’m sick of it.”

Kale nods. “I’m scared, too, Caulifla. But that’s why we’re training, right? So if there’s another tournament, we’ll be able to hold our own, or maybe even win. I believe in us.”

“You’re right. Heh, I never thought I’d see the day you’d have more confidence about something than I do, but I guess things are a lot different now.”

And they certainly are a lot different. Ever since the tournament, things have felt different between her and Kale. Fusing brought them together in a way neither of them would have ever imagined. Their thoughts, their personalities, even their voices, intermingling and combining into a fused being: Kefla.

Due to their fusion, Caulifla knows a lot of things about Kale she didn’t know previously, and she’s sure the same is true for Kale about her. She hasn’t brought it up, since there’s never been a good time and she’s not sure if she even wants to have that conversation.

A comet streaks across the sky, disappearing behind Sadala’s moon and reappearing out the other side of it. “Caulifla, if it’s okay, I wanted to ask you something,” Kale says, her voice soft.

“Yeah, go ahead and ask me.”

Kale turns to meet Caulifla’s eyes once more. “During the tournament, it felt like things were changing between us. You helped me be more confident in my power and control it, and then we fused,” she trails off. “I guess what I wanted to ask is, are we still friends like we were before? Or do you feel something more, too?”

Caulifla freezes. She didn’t expect Kale to be so forward about it, or even ask about it in the first place. If anyone was going to initiate this conversation, she was certain it was going to be herself.

The shocked silence makes Kale look away, slipping her hand out of Caulifla’s. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way. I know it’s a silly question-”

“Kale,” Caulifla says, cutting her off and taking her hand once more. “It’s okay. You just surprised me, that’s all.” She meets Kale’s eyes, noticing just how close together they are on this blanket. “Honestly, I don’t know exactly how I feel, but I feel something, too. When we were fused I felt complete, like nothing in the universe—in any universe—could stop us. I don’t know everything I feel, but I know I feel something about you.”

Kale blushes and smiles. “I’m happy to hear that. I felt something in our fusion, but I thought it was only me.”

The frigid night air gets even colder as a breeze comes in. Since they’re using the only blanket up there to lay on and avoid the cold concrete of the roof, Caulifla shifts closer to Kale to try to use their natural body heat to keep warm.

Caulifla bites her lip. “Hey, is it alright if I hold you? It’s getting kind of chilly up here, and I really don’t want to go inside just yet.”

Kale nods. “It’s okay.”

Caulifla brings her arms around Kale. They’re closer than ever now, and Caulifla focuses to summon a barely-visible red aura around herself as she uses her ki to warm her and Kale up.

“Better?” Caulifla asks.

“A lot better,” Kale says, trying to hide her flushed expression.

“It’s kinda nice,” Caulifla says. “Being this close to you. It makes me feel safe.”

“It makes me feel safe, too. You always make me feel safe, though,” Kale says.

“What, am I some kind of knight in shining armor now?” Caulifla asks teasingly.

Kale chuckles, “Yep, you’re my knight in shining armor.”

Caulifla laughs as well, feeling the happiest she has felt tonight. As their laughs die down, they’re left with the ambient noises of the night around them. Crickets chirp and the wind howls, but none of that matters as they snuggle up to each other.

Their faces are close, mere centimeters apart actually, and Caulifla thinks about what it would be like to kiss Kale. She doesn’t kiss her, believing that even though Kale admits to feeling something more than friendship for her, that doesn’t necessarily mean she wants to kiss.

They lie there together for a while, neither seeming to have the courage to speak up, but surprisingly it’s Kale that breaks the silence. “Caulifla, it’s okay if you don’t want to, but I was wondering,” Kale pauses, gathering her courage. “Is it okay if we kiss?”

Once again, Caulifla is surprised that Kale is making the first move, but she responds quicker this time. “Y-Yeah. It’s okay.”

One of Kale’s hands comes up to softly cradle Caulifla’s chin as they both lean in for a kiss. Caulifla notices that Kale’s lips are soft, just as she had expected them to be. They both pull back, staring into each other’s eyes.

“Wow,” is all Kale says.

“Yeah, wow,” Caulifla agrees.

“That was nice,” Kale says, a blush clear on her face as she bites her lip.

Caulifla nods, blushing as well. “I liked it, too.” Her hand travels to the back of Kale’s head. “Can I let your hair down?”

Kale nods. Caulifla carefully takes out the hair tie, letting Kale’s hair fall to her shoulders. Caulifla runs her hand through the soft locks.

“I have no idea how you get your hair this soft, but I love it,” Caulifla comments.

“T-Thanks,” Kale says. Caulifla slowly leans in once again, and Kale does as well. They kiss again, their lips moving with more intent as they get more confident about kissing each other.

Eventually, Kale pulls away. “I was thinking since we both have been having these tournament dreams, maybe it would be better if we stayed together? For tonight, at least,” Kale suggests.

“Yeah, I’d be alright with that. Are we staying in my room or yours?” 

“Your room,” Kale says. “It’s getting kind of cold up here, so do you want to go now?”

Caulifla nods. They both get up off the blanket and Kale rolls it up to take it back inside as well, then they head to Caulifla’s room.

They lie in Caulifla’s bed together, exchanging a few soft kisses before Kale eventually falls asleep, holding Caulifla close. Caulifla smiles down at her protégé and newfound companion, enjoying the feeling of snuggling close to her until she falls asleep as well.


End file.
